How are you pilots in the southwest handling this heatwave?

My carberuted engine tends to flood at the fuel/lunch stop when its hot so I get to practice hot starts!
 
Sluggo63 said:
When I was in flight school in Arizona in the early 1990's, they had a few days of 122 degrees (broke records at the time). All the airliners had to stop flying at Sky Harbor because none of the airlines had takeoff data for anything over 120.
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Kritchlow said:
I remember that. It's not that they weren't capable, but they couldn't prove they were capable due to lack of data.
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Sluggo63 said:
Exactly. From what I remember, Boeing and Airbus sells "hot weather data," but it would cost the airlines extra to buy it, and none of them did. So they were stuck for a few hours while the temps were above 120.
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You guys are referencing the past, but isn't that still happening? I read an article this past weekend about a United flight having to turn back from heading to Phoenix due to temps. Had some friends scheduled on a later Delta flight canceled for the same reason.

edit: here - they even made it all the way to El Paso before turning back. Weird - didn't they have the forecast? Or did the temp skyrocket suddenly while en route?

http://abc13.com/weather/flight-returns-to-iah-because-of-heat-wave-in-phoenix/1391923/
 
It hit 70 degrees here in Juneau yesterday. Sounds really comfortable but I sweat soaked my clothes pretty quickly.

I prefer the summer in northwest New Mexico. No humidity at all. My house is at 6600 feet and it gets really nice when the sun goes down. I don't have an air conditioner, just a swamp cooler and it can keep the house temperature at 66 or lower in the day if I let it.

It does occasionally get above 100f, and when it does I just go from one shady spot to the next one.
 
oldShar said:
THE thing that newbies, who did their training during the winter, are quickly taught ===>
From entry, you leave the doors wide open (regardless what the checklist says) from strap in, through engine start, through comm instructions and warm up, through taxi, and through run--up before considering closing them.
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Having a canopy makes things easier. Keep it barely open 1 inch during pre-flight if in the sun; otherwise, you'll burn your rear end upon entry (think convertible in PHX). My hottest takeoff has been 109*, but taxi wasn't bad. Open canopy, prop breeze and one of those "snap" towel that you wet makes things feel actually cold. A couple of years ago flying El Paso to Fullerton California the temps near Blythe were at 123* on the ground ... I climbed from 10500 to 12500 for a short time and things were comfortable.
 
I drive right by my home airport (KCHD) on the way to work every morning. It is located on the South edge of the Phoenix Metro area. Today, while driving to work at 7:30 AM, it was already 95 F and I saw three planes perform T&G's, two ore three more taxing around, and three more waiting in the runnup area to take off.
 
danhagan said:
Having a canopy makes things easier. Keep it barely open 1 inch during pre-flight if in the sun; otherwise, you'll burn your rear end upon entry (think convertible in PHX). My hottest takeoff has been 109*, but taxi wasn't bad. Open canopy, prop breeze and one of those "snap" towel that you wet makes things feel actually cold. A couple of years ago flying El Paso to Fullerton California the temps near Blythe were at 123* on the ground ... I climbed from 10500 to 12500 for a short time and things were comfortable.
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So true. I'm glad I built the slider version of my RV-9A, because when I land that canopy is fully open for taxiing once I clear the active! In recent weeks, I've flown a couple of times in 100 F ambient temps, and while the oil temp stays in the ideal range (180 F or so), the cylinder head temps profit from a pretty shallow "cruise" climb of 110 knots or thereabouts. Not uncommon for a couple of cylinders to hit 440 degrees briefly, but part of that is those tiny RV cooling air inlets. Lower drag has its price!
 
Vf6cruiser said:
We used to shut down DC-9 ops at PSP over 120deg because DA went over 10,000ft and we would exceed our max tire speed of 175knots...........the tire speed was what the drivers really worried about
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Could you not do short field ops and just gain speed while in ground effect to save the tires? That's my thought process anyways lol.
 
Did not have much problems Saturday with glider tow. But one glider at Max GW you could tell the DA was having an effect. DA was about 6800, I was getting a longer than normal takeoff roll and 200-300fpm climb out with the Grob 103 in tow. Find a thermal and it was good, but in sink, not so good. At one point I was actually getting -200fpm until I found the next thermal and stayed in it.

Towing with a Pawnee, 250HP fixed pitch, 1300# below max GW. Grob 103 at max GW in tow.
Normal temps would be off the ground in 1500ft and about 500fpm climb.
 
In two weeks, we'll be on Safari, 5500 MSL, 80F will be a DA of 8100. But no big two seat gliders and 7200ft long runway.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
So true. I'm glad I built the slider version of my RV-9A, because when I land that canopy is fully open for taxiing once I clear the active! In recent weeks, I've flown a couple of times in 100 F ambient temps, and while the oil temp stays in the ideal range (180 F or so), the cylinder head temps profit from a pretty shallow "cruise" climb of 110 knots or thereabouts. Not uncommon for a couple of cylinders to hit 440 degrees briefly, but part of that is those tiny RV cooling air inlets. Lower drag has its price!
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My Tiger was re-baffled before my purchase and double checked - they are tight cowled and still get hot FAST. On climb out in high temps, I have to Vy climb and even level off occasionally to stay away from 420+*. I depart with mixture at max RPM and have to enrichen on crosswind to keep things below 410*. My normal cruise CHTs on cylinders 3 and 4 (the back ones) are around 380-390. Doesn't take long to get to 8500 or 9500 altitude, but I hate looking over at the fuel totalizer and seeing 13's and 14's in the GPH window. In cruise I'm usually 8.5 to 8.8 GPH.

I love the RV's and have been considering trading over to one as I usually fly solo or maximum one passenger.
 
It was only 95 yesterday, nice and cool day down here in TX. Got stuck in bad traffic (understand: thousands of idiots not knowing how to drive) for over 1/2 hour and my car overheated before I did. :)
This year is pretty cool for now. Hoping that it will stay that way. Once we break into 100's, things heat up fast and it is no picnic outside. But at least the mosquitoes die off and we can enjoy the outdoors then.
 
This weekend it was pushing 95 to 97 with 70% humidity and we had a young eagles event. It was crazy hot! But still a good time flying and the kids loved it! Heat has never really bothered me much. I remember being a teenager in Texas on a Saturday playing in soccer tournaments all day in the heat. No big deal, here on a Saturday nobody goes out side. Pansies! hahaha But I think that conditioned me to the heat and even at 38 I can handle heat like I was 16.
 
danhagan said:
My Tiger was re-baffled before my purchase and double checked - they are tight cowled and still get hot FAST. On climb out in high temps, I have to Vy climb and even level off occasionally to stay away from 420+*. I depart with mixture at max RPM and have to enrichen on crosswind to keep things below 410*. My normal cruise CHTs on cylinders 3 and 4 (the back ones) are around 380-390. Doesn't take long to get to 8500 or 9500 altitude, but I hate looking over at the fuel totalizer and seeing 13's and 14's in the GPH window. In cruise I'm usually 8.5 to 8.8 GPH.

I love the RV's and have been considering trading over to one as I usually fly solo or maximum one passenger.
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You should get one! I totally relate to the fuel totalizer comment. I like to find the sweet spot between going decently fast and getting good economy. On a recent trip to San Diego, with no appreciable tailwind, I was doing 158-160 mph ground speed at 5.8 gph (at about 8000' DA, leaned to about 40 degrees lean of peak). They're really economical. Mine's got an IO-320-D1A and a Catto FP prop.

In cruise (80 degrees at 6500 feet!), the CHTs come down to the 350-360 range at that power setting.
 
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SoCal RV Flyer said:
You should get one! I totally relate to the fuel totalizer comment.
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I had a shot at a straight up trade for an RV6A. My Tiger's previous owner put a TON of fund$ into avionics, to the point of basically being worth the purchase price and getting the plane free. Their's wasn't that impressive. Am hoping to run into a really good builder that needs a 4 seat due to family expansion.
 
danhagan said:
I had a shot at a straight up trade for an RV6A. My Tiger's previous owner put a TON of fund$ into avionics, to the point of basically being worth the purchase price and getting the plane free. Their's wasn't that impressive. Am hoping to run into a really good builder that needs a 4 seat due to family expansion.
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I'm sure one will become available that meets your standards. People are always selling planes because their life mission changes. Build quality can and does vary dramatically!

I'm self-grounded today....100 degrees and uncharacteristically humid for SoCal. Should be better on Friday, where I'm flying to French Valley for lunch at noon. Any POA'ers want to meet up? Look for a red/silver/black trim RV-9A at the restaurant.
 
danhagan said:
My Tiger was re-baffled before my purchase and double checked - they are tight cowled and still get hot FAST. On climb out in high temps, I have to Vy climb and even level off occasionally to stay away from 420+*. I depart with mixture at max RPM and have to enrichen on crosswind to keep things below 410*. My normal cruise CHTs on cylinders 3 and 4 (the back ones) are around 380-390. Doesn't take long to get to 8500 or 9500 altitude, but I hate looking over at the fuel totalizer and seeing 13's and 14's in the GPH window. In cruise I'm usually 8.5 to 8.8 GPH.

I love the RV's and have been considering trading over to one as I usually fly solo or maximum one passenger.
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The Tiger I rent is getting the Gary Vogt cowl. It's supposed to drop CHT's 30 degrees.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
I
I'm self-grounded today....100 degrees and uncharacteristically humid for SoCal. Should be better on Friday, where I'm flying to French Valley for lunch at noon. Any POA'ers want to meet up? Look for a red/silver/black trim RV-9A at the restaurant.
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Flew across Texas today ... 9500msl had cockpit temps very comfortable until descent, at 4500 approaching Austin it felt like blast furnace ON

jkaduk said:
The Tiger I rent is getting the Gary Vogt cowl. It's supposed to drop CHT's 30 degrees.
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I flew a pup yesterday. To avoid heat, I got up at 5am, had the airplane pulled out of the hangar at 6am and was hoping I could finish the whole trip before it got too hot. I was wrong. I got hot by 9am. :)
100-degree days are not necessarily bad, if you stay in shade and the humidity is not at 85%.
I was "fine" at 8000' (IFR westbound) and once they dropped me to 3000' (below the deck), it got humid and hot as sh*t. I was NOT looking fwd to the taxi.
I might retire the airplane for the summer.
I always joke that I "summerize" (not summarize) the mower in June but I might do the same with the plane for real.
 
BillTIZ said:
Did not have much problems Saturday with glider tow. But one glider at Max GW you could tell the DA was having an effect. DA was about 6800, I was getting a longer than normal takeoff roll and 200-300fpm climb out with the Grob 103 in tow. Find a thermal and it was good, but in sink, not so good. At one point I was actually getting -200fpm until I found the next thermal and stayed in it.

Towing with a Pawnee, 250HP fixed pitch, 1300# below max GW. Grob 103 at max GW in tow.
Normal temps would be off the ground in 1500ft and about 500fpm climb.
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Heh. Welcome to every day from Springtime on -- at Boulder... :) Not too uncommon to see 100-200 fpm all summer long. The only bummer is west departures and the trees. That doesn't work out well after the temps get really high. East is pretty flat.

We hit 102 today in Denver (new record) and the forests all burst into flames yesterday, right on cue. Here we go again...

Outside smelled like a first fire at sunset, fires are over 50 miles away. At 23:00 now the whole house smells like one.

All of that from horizon to horizon is smoke, not haze.

51fd5fa596af0b872d0c98b67c262a37.jpg
 
denverpilot said:
We hit 102 today in Denver (new record) and the forests all burst into flames yesterday, right on cue. Here we go again...

Outside smelled like a first fire at sunset, fires are over 50 miles away. At 23:00 now the whole house smells like one.
All of that from horizon to horizon is smoke, not haze.
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Be careful flying. The year my alternator came apart and I got smoke in the cockpit, there were large fires in our region. First "whiff" of smoke smell I attributed to that as I had the same experience on previous flights ... about 30 seconds later my alternator came apart and my battery exploded in short order at night ...
 
BillTIZ said:
I was getting a longer than normal takeoff roll and 200-300fpm climb out with the Grob 103 in tow.
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Coincidentally, I started working on my PP/Glider add-on and first flight was at 2 p.m. out of 0N0. Once the canopy is closed, it starts getting warm a bit. We flew up to the edge of 18k feet and went on oxygen, first time in my life. Surprisingly, it was somewhat warm even that high up. Usually as I fly it, at 11k I start thinking about jacket. The other day I started around 10 a.m. and the wind was pushing the limits. G103 only has 11 knots cross-wind component limit. In any case, it seems that all it takes is hydration.
 
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